Yu-Gi-Oh Dragon Destiny: The Final Guardian
by frostfiretnpd
Summary: What if Yugi fell in love with someone who was meant to ONLY protect him? And what if someone with dangerous power fell in love with her too? Find out what happens when two people fall in love with someone who will do anything to protect the ones they love.
1. Prologue

A cool breeze swept over the Egyptian sand dunes. The stars glimmered in the sky while the moon provided light to the world.

All was calm and peaceful until a horse leapt over a sand dune and came into view. The white horse galloped at an alarming rate, obviously in a hurry to reach its destination. It carried two riders: a hooded young man and a young teenage girl, both wearing clothing from ancient times.

The young girl glanced timidly at the man. She had no idea who he was or where he was taking her. All she knew was that he saved her life and some subconscious part of her trusted him. _Besides, its not like I couldn't handle him if he tried anything,_ she thought to herself. She glanced down at her hand which held a large red pendant in the shape of a flame with a blue snowflake design in the middle. She gripped it tightly. _Boys... please be alright._

"We're here." The girl jumped in surprise. The man hadn't said anything to her since they rode off, so she wasn't expecting to hear from him. The man pointed in the direction they were headed.

The young girl's sky blue eyes widened in amazement. "The Valley of Kings," she said almost in a whisper. Out in the distance, mountains sprang up from behind the sand dunes. All of them starting from the rocky valley they were headed towards.

They continued on their path, entering the valley. The trail of desert winded through the rocks and crevices like a sandy river. The horse galloped along through it, passing many caves and tunnels that led to past Pharaohs' resting places. The girl waited anxiously to see where this man was taking her.

Finally the man pulled slightly on the reigns, turning the horse towards a nearby cavern. Waiting in the entrance was a tall young man wearing the white and gold dressings of a high priest. Around his neck was a leather thread that connected to a large golden ring, with golden spikes dangling from it, about the size of his chest. In the middle of the ring was a golden pyramid-shaped pendant attached by its three corners. On the pendant was a symbol; the egyptian eye of Horus.

The priest was leaning on the cavern walls, lost in his thoughts until he heard the approaching sound of hooves. He sighed sadly and crossed his arms, causing his golden bracelets to glimmer in the light. "Here we go."

When the riders reached the priest, the young girl quickly dismounted and rushed to him, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Oh Mahad, I was so worried!" she cried, "I thought for sure they had you when they came after us. Is the Pharaoh alright?"

Mahad watched the hooded man dismount his horse. He nodded. "Yes, he's safe. That Thief can't harm him for now."

"But why does he want us? Why is he so determined to destroy all of the guardians?"

"Because you and the priests are the only thing that stands between him and the Pharaoh." The hooded man answered for the priest. "Once you're out of the way, nothing will keep him from him." He sighed sadly. "And he's succeeded."

The girl turned to him in alarm. "What do you mean? He really did destroy all the guardians? But I thought it was just a rumor."

"I'm afraid its true," Mahad sadly. "All the guardians are gone. Only you remain."

Her eyes widened. "What? No, that can't be true. Tyler and Max are alive. I just saw them. So are you. I'm not the only one."

Mahad shook his head. "I'm not a true guardian. You know that. I'm just a magician trained by the guardians. As for the boys, well..." he trailed off. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No..." Tears began to flow from her eyes. She dropped to her hands and knees. "No! They can't be! I'd know, there's no way! They can't be..." She broke into sobs as grief took over her. Her pendant began to glow dimly.

The priest put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. "I'm sorry. I know how much they meant to you."

Suddenly the girl whirled around and glared at him. Her grief turned to rage and the pendant began to glow immensely. "How could you?!" she yelled at him. "They were just kids! How could you not save them Mahad? Where were you?!" Mahad turned away sadly.

The hooded man turned her towards him. "I know you're upset, but you can't take it out on him. I know for a fact your brother would never want you to give up because of him. He was an extremely brave boy and I'll never stop loving him," he said sadly. The illuminated pendant exposed his eyes for a moment, showing that he was crying as well.

The girl stared at him in wonder. "Are you Tyler's father?" The pendant's glow faded away and she saw the true color of his eyes for just an instant: a deep amethyst. They felt familiar but she couldn't match a face with them.

The man nodded. "Yes. Which means I am your father as well. I'm sorry I never exposed myself to you but it was for your safety. Tyler never spoke of me because he hated me for never telling him about you. And I don't blame him. Leaving you was the worst decision I ever made." He cradled a strand of her hair in his fingers. "You look so much like your mother. You've got her eyes." He sighed. "I hope one day you can forgive me."

"Just tell me who you are," she said.

"I can't. Not now, but one day you'll discover the the truth. I promise."

Mahad looked into the distance at the sky. "It's almost sunrise. We need to finish this before anyone notices you're gone," he said to the man.

He nodded in response. "I understand. Let's go." He entered the cavern and the others followed.

Inside, multiple torches were lit throughout the the tunnel exposing a golden wall at the end. The gold wall was covered in egyptian inscriptions that the young girl translated as some sort of instructions. It talked about the Millennium Ring and Puzzle and the next Pharaoh. She noticed a place holder for the two Items as well as her pendant, all set up like a triangle. She also noticed a very familiar dragon next to a small, furry creature and another younger dragon.

She placed her hand longingly on the adorable creature. "Tyler..." A tear fell from her cheek. She turned to the two older men. "What is this? Is this some kind of tomb?"

The hooded man nodded. "Yes but not the kind you think it is. Its enchanted. This small tomb will keep you safe until the Pharaoh that you are a Layol to releases you."

"What? Why? I can't stay in here, he elders didn't even know if I have a Pharaoh to protect. I could be in here for centuries!"

Mahad took a step forward. "Listen, you need to be kept safe. You're the last guardian. You have to be kept alive or all the ways of the guardians will die. Everything they've ever done to protect future Kings will have been in vain. This tomb was created long ago when you were first tested by the elders. When they saw your future and purpose, they discovered that you are part of something much bigger than just the guardians. And so is the King you are protecting."

"It's true," the hooded man said in agreement. "Don't you want to protect the next Pharaoh? It's what you've been dreaming of doing up until now, hasn't it?"

The girl glanced at the illustration again. _Everything's been taken away from me. My brother, my friends, my father. The only thing I have left is my guardianship. My duty. Besides, I can't let him suffer because I was to busy grieving._ She tightened her hand into a fist. _My King, I won't fail you too, I promise._ She turned back to her father. "'I understand what I have to do. I'm a guardian and that means that the Pharaoh comes first, no matter what."

Mahad smiled. "Now that's the guardian I know and love. Don't worry though, I promise you won't stay in there forever." He nodded at the hooded man and took off his necklace. He placed the Ring inside of the slot. It fit perfectly.

The man reached inside of his hood and pulled out a golden pyramid-shaped pendant the size of a coconut. It seemed to be made up of multiple smaller pieces put together like a puzzle. It was tied to a leather rope on the base side, forcing it to be upside down. There was a symbol engraved on the puzzle that the girl recognized as the eye of Horus.

"That's the Millennium Puzzle," the girl realized. "How did you get it? That's the Pharaoh's."

He didn't answer. He copied Mahad's technique and placed the puzzle into its own slot next to the Ring. He turned to the girl and pointed to the slot above the other two. "Put your pendant in there."

She did as she was told and removed her necklace. She placed the pendant in the slot. The moment she did, all three pendants began to illuminate a bright light. A loud CLICK! sounded and the wall opened forward, revealing that it was no wall but a door. Inside of the tomb was a small room with a large slab that was her exact body length projecting out of the wall in the corner.

The girl saw this and sighed. "So I guess I'm going to sleep?"

Mahad nodded. "There's a spell in the tomb that will put you to sleep so you lose track time. It will also preserve your physical age. You will basically be frozen in time until he releases you. Then everything will return to normal."

Suddenly the teen turned around and hugged him tightly. Mahad hugged her back. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me, and the boys. You've been the best teacher anyone could ever have. Keep reminding Mana that for me would you?"

Mahad chuckled at her reminding of his current pupil. "I will. She's going to mis you, and so will I. Remember your training and listen to your heart. It will never fail you." He broke the embrace and exited the tomb, giving her and her father some privacy.

"I know you don't know me that well, but know that I still have watched you grow up into the strong young woman you are now. And know that even after all this time and I still love you from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry I never got the chance to know you better."

The girl embraced him as well. "The fact that you care about me this much is all that matters. You're here now. Even though I never knew you, I've loved you all this time and I still do now. I do forgive you because I know you had a good reason and someday I'll find out what it is." She looked up at him, trying to see his face through the shadow the hood cast with no success. "But I do wish I knew who you were."

The man hugged her tightly one last time. "One day, I promise. But not today." He stepped back. "It's time."

She nodded and went over to the slab and lied down as comfortably as she could on her back. She watched as her father began to close the giant door. As he did, the glare from the golden door reflected in his eyes, revealing them yet again for just a second. This time, however, the girl knew for knew for sure she had seen them before. Not just from a memory but recently, like yesterday recently. But before she could match his eyes with a face, the spell took over her and she fell into unconsciousness almost instantly.

Outside, the man finished shutting the door. Mahad sighed. "It's done."

"Not yet." The man pulled his hood down, revealing his face. He was a couple years younger than Mahad, but just as mature. And it showed. He had messy black hair that was amethyst-spiked into a star-like shape with golden bangs, three of which layed against his afro instead of laying down normally. He also wore a golden headband that wrapped around his ears with the eye of Horus on it. Mahad recognized it as the crown of the Pharaoh. But he did not react because he had already known it was his loyal friend and King from the beginning. The Pharaoh placed his hand in the middle of the three pendants and spoke the words to seal the tomb. "My name is Atem, I am the last Pharaoh to have contact with this cell. Until the chosen Pharaoh comes, seal her up well. Only with these three items can one start or end this spell." He removed his hand and the three pendants began to glow bright enough to rival the sun. The two had to shield their eyes from the light.

After about a minute, the light disappeared and the two Millennium Items fell out of their slots. Mahad and Atem picked them up and placed them back around their necks.

Atem sighed. "Now, it's done."

Mahad folded his arms and leaned against the tomb. "Do you really think she'll fulfill everything the elders said she would? Your daughter's not one to break rules too often. Let alone one of the biggest rules to the guardians."

Atem placed his hand on the large dragon illustration. "She will do what her heart tells her. If that forces her to break some rules then so be it. She knows what's best."

"I just hope that one day she's rewarded for everything that she's being put through and going to be put through. That girl is a real trooper."

"That she is," Atem said in agreement. He turned around to exit the cavern. "Let's be off then. Her adventures haven't begun yet, but ours definitely have. We have to stop that thief." He walked off.

Mahad followed him out. But before he left, he gave a last glance at the tomb. _Good luck, young one. May the ancestors look after you. He looked up into the stars. May they look after us all._


	2. Chapter 1

_Yugi...Yugi.._

A 16-year old boy awoke with a start. He rubbed his amethyst eyes to fully wake himself. The boy had messy black hair shaped in a star that was highlighted at the pointed ends. He also had gold bangs that draped over his face. The boy was pale and bore childlike features despite his age, not to mention that he was shorter than most kids his age.

He sat up in the chair he dozed off in. He was in the Domino City museum, specifically in the lobby. Yugi remembered that he and his friends were waiting for Bakura to awake. He glanced at his unconscious friend lying on the couch.

_Poor kid_, Yugi sighed. _He's been through a lot today. We all have. _He remembered how they were sucked into the world of the Pharaoh's memory and the battles they fought to find the Pharaoh's name.

Yugi glanced at the golden necklace known as the Millennium Ring. The Ring contained an evil spirit of a thief that tried to posses Bakura in order to kill the Pharaoh and his friends. Using the Ring's power, he placed Yugi and his friends with the Pharaoh into the world of the Pharaoh's memory to play the ultimate _Shadow Game_ (a type of game that dark magic thrives in, risking whoever plays it's life and soul). The thief stole all of the Millennium Items and used them to resurrect a nearly indestructible monster known as _Zorc. _This monster was a demon-likecreature with unlimited power and a drive to destroy everything on the planet. And he would have succeeded if Yugi and his friends hadn't discovered how to stop it. They discovered the Pharaoh's name which was the key to unlocking a monster with the power to defeat Zorc. But unlike Zorc, this monster did not seek to destroy the world but to bring peace to the world. and it did so by destroying Zorc once and for all. Once Zorc was defeated, the evil spirit of the Ring disappeared, leaving Bakura unconscious.

Ryo Bakura was a 16-year old boy with long, white hair. He was a transfer student from England and came to Domino High School a few years ago. When Yugi and his friends met him they became friends with him really easily. Yugi thought Bakura was a shy but sweet kid like himself, and liked him a lot. But it was revealed that the reason he was transferred was because of his friends. Whenever Bakura played any sort of game with them, every single one of them would mysteriously fall into a coma. Bakura himself didn't really understand why or how but it was because of this that he was really timid about making friends. It turned out that the Millennium Ring his father gave to him had the evil spirit and it was using Bakura to challenge his friends to Shadow Games. The spirit tried doing the same to Yugi and his friends but failed because Bakura turned on him. Although the spirit was defeated, he didn't disappear. About a year later, he gained control over Bakura again for a long time. However didn't know he was under his control. It wasn't until right before they came to the museum that he figured it out. But this time he couldn't stop the spirit from starting the Shadow Game in the Pharaoh's memory.

Yugi sighed and handled the golden upside down, pyramid-shaped puzzle pendant that hung from a silver chain around his neck. _Today's been a long day for us. _The Millennium Puzzle contained a spirit of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh from 3,000 years ago. The Pharaoh had sealed his soul away in the Puzzle to defeat the evil Zorc. and lock up the Shadow Games for good. The only thing that could release Zorc was the Pharaoh's name. So in order to prevent anyone from releasing Zorc, the Pharaoh wiped his memory of everything, including his own name. The spell he used not only affected him, but everyone that had ever known him. Any trace of his name was destroyed. Anyone that knew him and his name forgot it and just referred to him as Pharaoh. The Puzzle was shattered and lost inside of his tomb, until Yugi's grandfather discovered it and gave it to Yugi. Yugi solved the Puzzle and released the spirit of the Pharaoh, although Yugi was unconscious of his existence for awhile. When they did meet, they became the best of friends and they went on many adventures together to discover the Pharaoh's past.

The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared beside Yugi. He and Yugi werenearly identical and could have been passed off as twins except for a few details that were almost unnoticeable. The first was that the spirit was slightly bigger than him and much older. He seemed much more mature and focused than his light-hearted partner. Also, three of his golden bangs stuck out awkwardly against his black, spiky, star-shaped hair. The spirit could only be seen by whoever was wearing the puzzle, except when Yugi and him exchanged turns controlling the teen's body. Only one of them could be seen or heard by the outside world at a time, but the two of them could communicate to each other any time through their thoughts. The Pharaoh folded his arms and leaned against the chair Yugi was on, looking into the distance, lost in thought. _Indeed we have._

Yugi gave him a goofy grin. _Are you happy you finally discovered your past, Atem? _

The spirit cracked a smile at his newly found name. _Yes, I've finally discovered who I truly am. Or was, I guess. It has answered all my questions, but I'm not going to change the life I'm living now. Who I am now. But the name is definitely going to be hard to get used to, _he smirked. _Especially after four years of being called Pharaoh or sharing your name. _Another difference between the too was that Yugi believed that the Pharaoh was a lot wiser and braver than he was.

_It's not just you that has to get used to it,_ Yugi pointed out._ It's gonna be hard for us too._ Atem glanced at Bakura._ I just hope Bakura can finally be free from the spirit of that thief once and for all now. He's been at his mercy for years now. He deserves his freedom. That thief was a madman with a lust for revenge and power._

Yugi nodded in agreement. _That's true, but I can see why he became like that. His entire family, village, and lifestyle were all destroyed to create the Millennium Items. All in front of him as a child too. That scared him for the rest of his life. All he had left was his hatred, so he swore revenge on the Pharaohs. I kinda feel bad for him. He was reduced to thievery and dark magic that ended up destroying him. Sorta sucks, right? _

Atem didn't answer at first. He stared grimly at the Millennium Ring in front them. His eyes narrowed. _I think at one point I might of felt pity for him, but after all he's done I believe he got what he deserved. He fooled around with a power he didn't know how to control and picked a fight he was bound to lose. He wanted to destroy me with the monster my father created by accident, and he slaughtered all that stood in his way. Including the priests, my grandfather, and Mahad._ He closed eyes in pain at the memory. Then he turned back to Yugi. _I feel nothing but rage and hate towards that monster. He can rot where he is, in the shadows! _he snapped angrily.

Before Yugi could say anything, he disappeared, returning back inside of the Puzzle to his soul room. "Atem..." Yugi sighed. He looked down at the puzzle. Now he felt bad, he hadn't meant to make him angry. _I guess he's still upset about losing his old friends. Again. _

_Yugi...Yugi..._A voice sounded in his head, one he didn't recognize. His eyes widened and he looked around frantically for the source._ There it is again! I thought it was just in my dream...someone's really calling to me..._

"Yuge, you alright man?" Yugi looked behind him to see a tall, blonde boy around 17 walking towards him. He wore baggy, worn out clothes that were obviously hand-me-downs. He gave Yugi a worried look. Yugi recognized him as Joey Wheeler, his best friend throughout high school. But they weren't always friends. When high school started, Joey used to bully Yugi all the time with his other best friend, Tristan Taylor. But that was before Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle. Joey was one prone to get into fights with his short temper and record of being in a gang all through middle school. Now he's just seen as a big lovable goof that's never taken seriously.

"Yeah I'm fine, just a bit jumpy," Yugi lied.

"Hmph. Don't blame ya. I'm still on edge too after all that crap with Bakura." He scratched his head, messing up his long, already messy, dirty blonde hair. He glanced at Bakura on the couch. "I hope he wakes up soon, 'cause I got to get home soon. Someone's got to feed that drunken dushebag," he said bitterly, referring to his father. The two didn't exactly have the best relationship.

"Hey, look who finally woke up," another tall teenage boy walked up beside Joey. He had short brown hair with a fohawk and he wore much nicer clothes that showed he was much more sophisticated than his brawny bud. But he and Joey could've passed as brothers any day. He was as old and as tall as Joey and definitely could fight like him. "Have a nice snooze, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Yeah, sorry about dozing off guys," Yugi apologized. "We were just really worn out." 'We' referred to him and Atem.

Joey nodded. "I know, we understand. Tristan was just teasing." He gave him a playful nudge. The two were definitely closer than brothers even though they were not related in any way.

Yugi looked around again. "Hey, where's Tèa?" Tristan pointed with his thumb behind him without turning around at a hallway behind them. "She's on the phone, talkin' to your Gramps."

"Was." Tristan turned around to see a beautiful teenage girl walking towards him. She had brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders along with bangs that draped across her forehead. She also had sparkling sky blue eyes. Tèa Gardner wore a fancy tank top with shorts as she always did during hot days. Yugi had been friends with Tèa since they were kids and he had developed a huge crush on her. Not that he ever showed it. Tèa turned to Yugi. "Your grandpa will be here in awhile. He has to make a few stops first. How are you feeling though?" Tèa was very protective over Yugi and acted as the group's mother-figure. But she always keeps the group together no matter how tense things got. "How's the Phar-I mean Atem?" she asked in her sweet voice that reminded Yugi of sweet bells.

Yugi looked down at the Puzzle in disappointment. The reason he never revealed his true feelings was because he knew she didn't feel the same way about him. She was in love with another person Yugi knew very well: Atem. And he was starting to think he felt the same way towards her. "He's fine. We're both fine." Tèa noticed the disappointment in his voice but before she ask what was wrong, Bakura groaned and sat up.

"You okay dude? You've been out for awhile," Tristan asked him as he rubbed his head.

"I..I think so." His gentle brown eyes looked around in confusion. "What happened? Did you guys end up finding the Pharaoh's memory? How'd I end up unconscious?" Joey held up the Millennium Ring and Bakura's eyes widened. "You're lovely friend here decided to come out and visit with us," he said sarcastically. "He thought it'd be fun to drag us into a shadow game inside of the Pharaoh's memories. Tried to resurrect an ultimate monster that would cause major destruction, tried to kill us, laughed like a maniac, failed miserably on his part." He shrugged. "Same as usual."

"No..." Bakura buried his face in his hands. "Not again. I hate this, I've never been able to stop him. He makes me feel useless."

"It's not your fault," Yugi assured him. "It's not your fault he did all this. You have no control over him."

Bakura grabbed the Ring from Joey and stared at it angrily. "Exactly. That's what I hate the most. I CAN'T control him. And I'm sick of it!" He threw the Ring on the ground. He got up and walked off bitterly into the museum exhibits.

Yugi picked the Ring up off the floor. Joey watched Bakura storm off. "Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the couch."

Tristan shrugged. "I don't blame him. He's been at that dirtbag's mercy for much longer than he should have been."

_"Yugi..." _

The voice sounded again, startling Yugi. _Where's it coming from? _He looked around frantically. This time the voice sounded like it was actually here and not just inside his head. Someone was definitely calling him.

"Yuge? What's up?" Joey raised an eyebrow. He sensed something was bothering his friend.

"I-I don't know. I keep hearing a voice. And its not Atem. Its like someone's trying to call out to me." Yugi looked around again. "And I think they're here."

Joey looked at him in confusion. "What?" He was used to weird things happening around Yugi, with the Millennium Items whatnot, but this was indeed unusually weird. Even for Yugi.

Yugi didn't answer. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the voice. _Where are you? Tell me where you are._ A moment passed and the voice responded, _"In the tomb...help...please..."_ Yugi's eyes snapped open. "There's someone stuck in one of the exhibits!" Before anyone could react, he took off into the exhibits.

"Yuge!" "Wait up!" Tristan and Joey ran off after him, Tèa following closely behind.

Yugi rushed through the exhibits, looking for any sign of a tomb that could hold a living person. He kept running until he spotted Bakura standing in front of a golden cube the size of a small room.

Yugi stood next to Bakura who was staring at the box in awe. It was covered in ancient writings that looked like some sort of hieroglyphics from Egypt. "What is this thing?"

"I don't know, but it's definitetly got something to do with us," Bakura replied. Yugi looked at him in confusion. "Look." He pointed at the two placeholders in front of them. Yugi's eyes widened as he recognized the shapes. One was the shape of his Puzzle and the other was the shape of the Millennium Ring.

"Do you know what any of this means?" Yugi asked him. Bakura squinted as he looked intently at the symbols, while rubbing his chin with his index finger. "I can only pick up bits and pieces, but it keeps talking about some guardian and a chosen one." He looked at the symbols next to the placeholders. "These are some sort of instructions to open this thing. 'Only with these three items can one start or end this spell.' And there's something about the chosen one again."

Yugi stared at the placeholders in confusion. "What three items? There's only a placeholder for two. Where's the third?"

Bakura looked over the wall of the cube until he noticed something. "There it is, up there!" He pointed at a small pendant directly above the placeholders. It was a red flame the size of a baseball with a blue snowflake on it. He touched it and his eyes widened before retracting his hand quickly.

"What's wrong?" Bakura didn't answer, he just stared wide-eyed at his hand. "Yugi! Bakura!" Joey, Tristan, and Tèa caught up and saw the great golden box as well.

"Whoa." Tristan looked at it in amazement. The others did as well.

Joey turned to Yugi. "So what the heck were you talkin' about back there Yugi? Who's here?" Yugi didn't answer, he was too distracted by Bakura's strange behavior.

"I-it's pulsing," Bakura stammered. He looked up at Yugi. "Almost like it's alive." Yugi reached up and touched the pendant as well, feeling a warm pulsing on his fingertips that felt nearly identical to a heartbeat. And if that wasn't weird enough, it started to glow when he made contact with it. When he removed his hand, it stopped. He looked at in confusion. "Weird."

Tristan felt it as well, but unlike Yugi, it did not illuminate as it had for him. "Dude that's freaky. What's up with it? It has to be like 65 degrees in here and that thing feels the same temp as a regular person."

Tèa turned to Yugi. "Do you know what any of the writings mean?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, but I know someone who might." He closed his eyes and the Puzzle glowed. When it dimmed, Yugi was gone and the spirit of Atem was in his place.

"Atem!" The group's eyes lit up at the sight of their friend. Atem smiled. "It's good to see you guys." He turned to the writings. "So what is this thing?"

"We were kinda hoping you could tell us," Tristan admitted. "Can you make anything out?"

Atem read over the inscriptions. "Its some sort of tomb to protect something. The final guardian You can open it up with the Millennium Items and that pendant. But only the "chosen" Pharaoh can unlock the door."

"'Pharaoh', huh? Well that's gotta be you right?" Joey suggested. "I mean you are the only Pharaoh around right now. Right?" Atem nodded. "I believe so, but I don't know if I'm THE Pharaoh that this speaks of. It could be any of the past Pharaohs for all I know."

"What you think's in there?" Tristan asked curiously.

"Oooh...I bet its gold!" Joey stared at the tomb hungrily. "Atem, put your Puzzle and that Ring in so we can open it and get rich!"

Tèa rolled her eyes. "Joey, I don't think there's gold in there. I'm pretty sure that the museum would've gotten it out already."

Tristan stared at the tomb in wonder. "Who knows, maybe it'll make us richer than rich-boy Kaiba!" Tèa rolled her eyes again when she realized the boys were ignoring her.

Yugi appeared beside Atem as a spirit, only seen by Atem. He pointed to an illustration of a dragon with its wings wrapped protectively around a smaller dragon and a small, furry creature. _Look at this. Is that a Kuriboh and a Baby Dragon?_

_From the Duel Monsters game? That's highly unlikely._ Atem chuckled. _But after all we've seen today, I wouldn't be surprised. _

Yugi thought back to the priests and how they could control monsters known as _Ka. _These monsters deeply resembled the monsters from a card game that was extremely popular throughout the world; Duel Monsters. Little did most people know, the game was actually based off the duels the priests would have with their enemies using the Ka. And anyone with a Millennium Item could use the cards to release the real monsters that lie within them. There were three cards in particular that were sought out by every duelist in the world their unstoppable power, the God Cards Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. The cards were key to ultimate power and Atem's memories as well as his way back home. They belonged with the Pharaoh but if they were in the wrong hands it could mean the end of the world.

_Yugi! In here! I'm in here!_ The voice yelled again, heard only by Yugi for some reason. This time it came from inside the tomb.

Yugi's eyes widened as he realized where the person was. He turned to Atem quickly. _Open the door! Quickly! There's someone inside! _

Atem looked at him in confusion. _What? How's that even possible? This hasn't been opened for thousands of years. No one could be in there, and if there were they'd be long dead, Yugi. What makes you think there's someone in here anyway? _

_I keep hearing a voice and its coming from the tomb. It wants me to help it._

Atem raised an eyebrow. _What if its a trap?_ Yugi shook his head. _I don't think it is. The voice sounds sincere. And...for some reason, I think we can trust it._

Atem stared at him for a while, still not convinced. But he sighed. _Alright Yugi, I don't know about this voice, but I trust you. I'll try to open it._ Yugi nodded thankfully as Atem placed the Ring in the placeholder and removed the Puzzle and placed it in as well. But before he finished putting in the Puzzle, the Ring fell out and rolled to Bakura's feet. He picked it up in surprise.

"That's weird," Joey stated. "The Puzzle didn't fall out when Atem put it in, but the Ring did."

"Actually that makes a lot of sense," Atem replied. "I'm not the bearer of the Ring," he turned to Bakura, "you are." He gestured for him to put the ring in. "Only the bearers can put the Items in." Bakura nodded and put the Ring in the placeholder. This time it stayed put. Atem read through a few lines of the instructions. "Alright, according to this, when the chosen one puts their hand in the middle of the items it should open." He placed his hand in the middle of the triangle that the three pendants made and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen.

A moment passed and nothing happened. Atem opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "I-I don't understand, it should have worked."

Joey shrugged. "Maybe you're not the Pharaoh they're talking about after all."

Yugi put his hand on Atem's shoulder. _Let me try. Maybe that's why I keep hearing that voice. Maybe its the tomb that's calling me. Besides, it can't do any harm right?_

Atem shrugged. _I suppose not._ The Puzzle glowed and the two switched again. This time Yugi stepped forward and placed his hand in the middle of the triangle hoped with all his might that the tomb would open. The three items began to glow and the door clicked open.

Yugi and the others stepped into the tomb, eager to discover its contents. The room was completely empty except for a single slab protruding from the back left-hand corner. And laying on the slab was an unconscious girl around their age wearing clothes that were from the same time period from which Atem ruled. She was unconscious, but unlike Atem originally thought, she was definitely alive.


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi sat down at a table in the lobby and began placing pieces of the Puzzle together. In a matter of seconds he had a good portion of it done.

"Wow, you really got the hang of that," Bakura said, rather impressed.

He chuckled. "Well, after it being broken apart several times, you kinda get it memorized."

A few moments of silenced passed as Yugi continued to click the pieces together. Then Bakura asked, "Yugi, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied without looking up from the Puzzle.

"How do you control the Pharaoh?"

Yugi looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, no matter what I've done, I can't seem to have ever controlled the spirit of the Ring. But you can control the Pharaoh as if it's nothing, whenever you want. How?"

"Well, that's because we're friends. We want to make each other happy. If we weren't, things would have been more like with you. I'd probably have no control either."

Bakura thought for a moment. "So you're saying I have to make friends with him?"

"Not at all. You merely need to stabilize your relationship with him in order to gain the power to control him," Jordyn answered for Yugi, who glanced at her in surprise.

"You seem to understand a lot about this," Yugi said suspiciously.

Jordyn smirked. "You'd be surprised by how much I know."

"I bet," Bakura replied. "I wouldn't be surprised though. I'm still in shock that you're even alive." He pointed at her pendant. "That's the one from the tomb right?"

She grabbed it in response and eyed it closely, lost in thought. "Yes. Its the symbol of my power as well as my guardianship." She tightened her grip on the red flame. "And a constant reminder of a bad memory."

"Really? What happened?" Bakura asked in interest.

She looked away. "I don't want to talk about it. It's not important right now."

Bakura noticed the pain in her eyes thought it was best not to push her. "Well its a really beautiful one," he said, trying to change the subject. "I've never seen anything like it. The colors, the shape, and the details are perfect in every way. However did you find it?"

"It was given to me when I completed my training. My teacher, Mahad, gave it to me."

Yugi looked up in surprise. "Mahad? He gave it to you?"

She nodded. "Yes, he was my teacher after all. As my instructor he had to come up with an object or symbol that symbolizes me in every way. Something that represented my past, present, and future."

"Huh, I don't remember Atem telling me Mahad had two students."

"That was probably for the best. Mahad was trying to protect me as usual."

It was then that Bakura cried out in pain, clutching his chest.

"Bakura? What's wrong?" Yugi asked in concern.

"My chest suddenly started hurting. I don't know what's happening. It hasn't hurt this bad since-" His eyes widened and he turned to Yugi. "Yugi run! He's-Ach!" He toppled over in pain.

"Bakura!" Yugi ran over to help him. He was greeted by a fist to his jawbone that sent him flying into a wall, knocking him out cold.

"Yugi!" Jordyn ran to his side. She glared at Bakura. "What the heck was that for?!" she yelled.

Bakura stood up and snickered. The Millennium Ring appeared around his neck and glowed. Jordyn's eyes widened when she saw his eyes; they were no longer the his gentle brown eyes, they were replaced with the cold, hatred-filled eyes of the evil thief spirit.

"Sorry but I can't let you finish that Puzzle, Yugi," he said, his harsh voice hinted with amusement. "It's better for everyone if he's not involved."

Jordyn narrowed her eyes. "You," she growled.

The spirit smirked. "Yes, me. I haven't seen you in a while, Jordyn. I could've sworn everyone thought you were dead. I guess the guardians are as good as they say." He pulled a switch blade out of his pocket. "I packed this before we left this morning. Poor little Ryo didn't even know about it. Now get out of the way."

"Over my dead body," Jordyn snarled. "You know I can kill you here and now, thief. And I won't hesitate to if you make a move to harm him."

"Oh really? Even if you have to kill Yugi's friend? You and I both know that you won't hurt an innocent person, not after that massacre."

Jordyn's eyes widened. "Y-you know about that?"

"Oh but of course," he smirked. "I know everything, you monster. Now let's see how strong your morals are compared to your so-called loyalty. Either way you'll get what you deserve, just like the rest of the guardians." He readied himself to attack. "I'll kill you and then the Pharaoh's vessel. After that the Puzzle's mine," he grinned evilly.

No! I won't let you! Bakura's spirit appeared and grabbed hold of the evil spirit. I won't let you hurt my friends again! Jordyn stared in amazement at his courage.

"Let go of me, you brat!" the spirit snarled. He tossed Bakura off of him. "I've had enough of you. You've been nothing but trouble for me all these years and you no longer serve any purpose for me. It's time I ended your constant interfering, permanently!"

The Ring began to glow and blasted a laser of light at Bakura who cried out in pain when it hit him. His spirit began to deteriorate from his feet up as the blast got more and more powerful.

Jordyn watched in horror. I've got to stop this. He saved both me and Yugi twice now and I can't let that thief become more powerful. She got up and ran to Bakura's side.

He looked up in surprise through gritted teeth and and wincing eyes from the pain. Both legs were nearly gone and it was moving fast. I-I've failed again, he looked away, ashamed. I'll never have the power stop him.

Jordyn put her hands on his shoulders. Although he was a spirit, it seemed that she could do more than just talk with spirits. "Bakura, listen to me. I can help you but there may be consequences. Extreme consequences. But if it works, it won't only save you now, it will also give you the power to stop him for good," she assured him. "Just say the word."

Bakura glanced at the evil spirit laughing meniachally at him. He narrowed is eyes. If it puts an end to his control over me, then...I accept.

Jordyn nodded and closed her eyes. She put her hand on his forehead and the pendant around her neck began to glow brightly. "Soul searcher!" she shouted.

Bakura's body began to glow and the parts that had disappeared, reappeared instantly. His eyes widened as he was levitated into the air. The thief watched in confusion and terror as his plans were demolished.

If this works, his soul monster should be released and save him, Jordyn thought as she opened her eyes to watch it play out. But her confidence turned to terror as she saw what was happening.

A searing pain began to well up in Bakura, and it began to radiate throughout his entire body. He cried out in pain as he felt his spirit transforming. His arms began to grow larger and thicker, and so did the rest of his body. The light illuminating his body grew brighter, making it nearly impossible to see.

Jordyn's eyes widened. "Oh no...not this...This can't happen..."

Bakura's cries of pain grew larger and louder, suddenly deepening into a roar. A roar that sounded very familiar to him...

The light dimmed, then disappeared. When they saw what lie before them, both Jordyn and the thief gasped in surprise. Bakura's clothes lie on the ground, completely shredded. And in his place was a large, green dragon with ivory horns that were in a similar shape to that of a ram. There was a blue plate that protruded from both of his cheekbones as well as another brown plate that ran down its spine from its forehead to its tail. It spread its wings, exposing its dark brown membrane.

The dragon curled his lip, exposing his ivory-white teeth. It flexed its white talons as well, snarling in anger. Its eyes glared daggers at the evil spirit.

The thief's eyes widened in terror, as fear flooded into his head. He fought the urge to run, hoping it was all just an illusion. What is this? This has to be some kind of trick, dragons don't exist!

Jordyn looked at the dragon in horror. No...what have I done?! Now Bakura is...She looked up into the dragon's eyes. Although they were overflowing with hatred, they still remained a warm, gentle brown. They were the same eyes of Bakura himself.

The dragon roared and charged forward at the thief. He tackled him to the ground, pinning him. He raised his head, preparing to tear out his throat.

"No! Bakura, he's still you!" Jordyn shouted. The dragon looked at her, startled. "If you kill him now, you'll kill yourself!"

The dragon nodded in understanding. He loosened his grip for just a second. The thief saw the dragon was distracted and took his chance. He slashed the dragon's hind leg that was pinning him down. The dragon reared back and roared in pain. Blood seeped from the wound. The thief got up and prepared to attack him again.

The cries of pain from the dragon turned into raging roars as something inside him snapped. Suddenly, his eyes began glowing a brilliant white and a black flame began seeping out of the dragon's mouth and nostrils, spreading over its body. The dragon's scales absorbed the flame and the color changed from green to a deep black that could challenge the night sky. His eyes, teeth and talons lost their ivory-white color and began to change into a brilliant, empty white.

Jordyn's eyes widened. "This is...but Bakura, how? How could you have this much hatred and pain inside of you? You...you've released the darkness inside you.."

The dragon reared up and roared, his tail lashing wildly. Even though the dragon seemed terrifying before, it at least seemed more focused and calm. Now it felt wild and crazed, looking for something to kill. It ran around wildly, clawing and snapping at everything in the room. If the dragon wasn't a spirit it would've destroyed the entire lobby. The crazed-animal look gleamed with bloodlust.

Suddenly it stopped and turned to the thief and Jordyn. It snarled viciously, like a dog who had been beaten its whole life and finally had enough and was ready to kill its owner.

You...I will kill...yes, you need to die... The thief heard the dragon's terrifying thoughts in his head. It was then that he realized that the dragon was the boy he had tormented so many times. It quite impressed him that his vessel was more powerful than he had originally thought.

He smirked. If we live through this, I'm going to figure out how I can take advantage of this. He spread out his arms wide. "Come on Ryo! You want me? Come get me!"

The dragon roared at this and charged. Right before he reached him, Jordyn appeared and ran into the dragon, grabbing his left horn and sliding under his neck. The momentum caused the dragon to flip onto his back and skid to the far right of the thief. It also caused Jordyn to flip on top of him. She grabbed hold of his horns and pinned his hind legs under her knees and legs.

The startled dragon writhed and flailed around wildly from under her, snapping angrily at her. But to his surprise, she held him down. She looked seriously into his wild-white, pupil-less eyes. "Bakura, listen to me. You need to calm down. You unlocked a dark power inside of you and it's causing you not to think straight."

It narrowed his eyes and curled his lip, snarling in response. I am thinking just fine! The thief heard the raging thoughts burn through the dragon's mind. He stared in amazement at Jordyn, who seemed unphased at the snarling, viscous, uncontrollable beast below her.

"You're letting your emotions control you," she continued. "Let go and calm down If you don't, you'll lose yourself to the darkness. This isn't who you are! You're not a killer!" The words her master once told her in the past escaped her, surprising both the dragon as well as Jordyn.

The dragon blinked as if something had clicked in his mind. Then his eyes widened and he became panic-stricken, realizing what he was becoming. He thrashed about from underneath her, swinging his tail around.

The sharpened, jagged point on top of the club of his tail caught on her forearm and she cried out in pain. The cut was deep but it didn't keep her from loosening her grip on him.

"Bakura! Look at me," she ordered through pained eyes. The dragon stopped thrashing and looked up at her. "You need to calm down. Take a breath and relax. Panicking won't do any good." The dragon nodded and exhales deeply. "Now try to think of something that makes you happy." The dragon gave her a confused look. "Trust me, just try. You need something to distract you from your anger. Think of anything or anyone." The dragon relaxed an remained silent for a while, looking around for something to calm him.

He searched the room with no success until his gaze fell back on Jordyn. The dragon felt quite amazed that she had gotten to calm him down, and that she took him head on. Quite literally. She was brave, there was no doubt about that. But she was well-trained too, he could tell. There was never any hesitation in her actions, and that impressed him. He didn't understand why but he felt that she was somehow like him. He guessed it was from the way she could get sense into him. It was weird. He felt like they've known each other for a long time...

The dragon continued to think of the mysterious girl. And the more he did, the more relaxed and focused he became. The green color of his scales slowly returned and Jordyn watched as his warm brown eyes returned. They were more human than dragon she realized. But then again, there was a reason for that.

Jordyn smiled as the black disappeared from his white underbelly scales. "You did it," she said as she released her grasp on his horns and got off him. She clutched her forearm tightly as the dragon got up and shook himself, clearing his mind.

The thief watched all this with keen interest. If that runt can learn to control himself, I may be able to use this new "power" of his. He smirked. Things are going to turn around for me I can feel it. "Well...THAT was interesting. I sure learned a lot from you two today, that's for sure. Jordyn, I guess the rumors about you and your contact abilities with spirits were true. But I was wondering, can you hear their thoughts as well?"

Jordyn narrowed her eyes, and the dragon curled his lip at the thief and growled. "No, I can't."

"Interesting," he grinned evilly. "Well my vessel, it seems I was wrong about you," he said to the dragon, "you're not as useless as I thought."

The dragon snarled and would've charged him again, if he wasn't stopped by Jordyn.

"You have the power to stop him without killing him you know," Jordyn told him. "Its in you, you just need to find it."

The dragon thought about this for a moment before he felt something inside him click. The dragon stepped forward with determination in his eyes. The thief watched him carefully, waiting to see what he would do.

Spirit, I am no longer Bakura, the dragon spoke, surprising everyone. That is your name and I'm no longer going to be called by it. Ryo is my first and true name. It is who I am. But whether I like it or not, Bakura will always be part of me, just as you are. And whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me.

The thief snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, boy. I can get rid of you whenever I want."

No, you'll never truly get rid of me, the dragon replied. And I get that now. Until you do though, I will always surpass you.

He laughed. "Surpass me? Who are you kidding, boy? I've always been the stronger one."

The dragon shook his head. You're not. If that was true, you would've killed me years ago. But I always come back. No matter how many times I overtaken by you, I always come back to face you again. That's true strength. And since I'm truly the stronger one, I am the true bearer of the Millennium Ring. You're just using me to get to it. And I'll prove it. He shut his eyes.

The Millennium Ring around the thief's neck began to glow. The evil spirit's eyes widened in terror. "What? What are you doing?!" The light illuminated the lobby. When it dimmed, the two had switched places. The dragon was no longer a spirit. He snorted pridefully.

The thief looked around in confusion. H-how? How is this possible?! You've never been able to change us at will. He glared at Jordyn. What dark magic did you use on him, you monster?!

She folded her arms and smirked. "Nothing. He did that on his own. Face it Bakura, you're all washed up. He's the true bearer of the Ring. You're just the thief stealing its power and his ability to use it."

Bakura gritted his teeth. You did this. This is all your doing! he snarled. You'll pay for this! He was about to charge at her when the dragon stepped in front of her.

"Enough," he growled. "This is between you and me." He narrowed his eyes. "And I'm ending it." The dragon slammed his paw into the ground and a huge chunk of earth flew out of the ground. It flew at Bakura, morphing itself into a cage.

Bakura's eyes widened as the cage swallowed and ensnared him. The cage sealed itself with no doors or any way out. What is this? What's going on? He glared at the dragon. What did you do ?!

"It's a spirit sealer," Jordyn replied, rather impressed. "And a darn good one too. Doesn't look like you're going anywhere anytime soon," she smirked.

What do you mean?

"Well now he can use that to lock you up for good in a part of his soul."

What?!

The dragon nodded. "Yes and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Before Bakura could do anything, the Millennium Ring illuminated a beam of light at the cage. "Now leave and never harm anyone again!" Bakura cried out in terror and the cage was absorbed in the Millennium ring.

When it was gone , the dragon sighed and tore the Ring off from around his neck. "It's finally over. I-I've never stood up to him and won before."

"He's not gone though. He can still appear to you and the people of the real world now too. But he's completely powerless now."

The dragon nodded gratefully. "And I've got you to thank for that."

Jordyn shook her head. "No, you are the one who did it. Thank yourself."

He smiled. "Well, thanks to you AND me." He looked down at himself. "I have a serious question though. Am I stuck as a dragon?"

Jordyn laughed a little. "No, but I don't think you'd look all that bad as one. He's a really good-looking one."

The dragon smirked and admired himself. "I'd have to agree with you on that one. He's a handsome one." His expression turned serous. "So how do I turn back?"

"Just think about being human again. It's pretty simple."

He nodded and closed his eyes. His body illuminated brightly. When it dimmed, the dragon was gone, replaced with his true form of a human. His eyes widened when he realized his clothes were gone. He yelped and tried his best to cover himself.

Jordyn giggled. "Relax, it won't happen again. Your transformation shredded your clothes. Here." She tossed him the shall she was wearing. He tied it quickly around his waist. "Go and change. I'm sure you've got clothes around here right?" He nodded and hurried off, his face a bright pink.

When he was gone, she ran over to Yugi who was still unconscious. Once she decided he was fine she picked him up gently and placed him on the couch. She went over to the table and picked up the Puzzle and last piece. She placed the puzzle around Yugi's neck and placed the last puzzle piece in his hand. Using his fingers, she placed the last piece into the Puzzle.

"Yugi, I hope we can become the best of friends and partners. I wish to protect you to my dying breath. I've lost everyone ever precious to me and I never want to lose you. You're all I have left. I swear to you, I won't fail you." She went to the table and sat down handling her pendant. She closed her eyes and it glowed. When it stopped, she looked down at her forearm to see that it had healed almost completely. She smirked and leaned back, thinking of what has happened and what would happen now.

In the back round, the Millennium Puzzle glimmered and illuminated for a second then disappeared, signaling its power had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryo slammed the bathroom door behind him. He was panting hard from running so quickly to the bathroom. He slumped to the floor as the shock from all that had happened overwhelmed him.

After a few minutes, he finally stood up and changed. He put on a red polo with the museum logo on it and a pair of jeans. It was then that he noticed that he was sweating heavily, so he splashed some water on his face and leaned over the sink.

So what happens now? He asked himself. Who am I now? WHAT am I now...? He looked up in the mirror. His normal reflection stared back at him. Nothing had changed. Well...it only seems like it...

A red streak on his arm caught his eye in the mirror and he looked down to see the gash where Bakura had slashed him. It was still bleeding. He ran some water over it and gritted his teeth as the water cleaned his cut, stinging painfully.

"That thief..." he growled, "I hope he rots!" He felt a surge of anger well up inside him, causing him to panic for a moment. "No! Not again." After what happened to the dragon when he got enraged, it frightened him to think what might happen.

Ryo exited the bathroom, with Jordyn's shall in his arms. He re-entered the lobby to see Jordyn sitting at the table alone. He walked up to her and handed her the shall.

"Here. Thanks for letting me use it," he said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Jordyn smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it," she replied as she took back her shall. "Like I said that was the one and only time that will happen. That was just you adjusting from your 'transformation'."

Ryo sat down next to her. "So I guess Yugi's still out?"

She nodded and glanced back at Yugi on the couch. "Yes, but he'll be fine. He didn't hurt him too badly," she assured him, referring to Bakura. "He was already worn out from before, with those thugs and all."

Ryo sighed and looked away sadly. "But I still hit him."

Jordyn frowned at him. "That wasn't you Ryo, that was Bakura. You did nothing wrong."

"Except turn into a wild, crazed, killing machine!" Ryo exclaimed. "I could have killed everyone..." He looked up at Jordyn with scared eyes. "What happened to me?" he asked in a shaking voice.

She didn't respond at first, trying to figure out what I say. "Ryo, it's your dragon. You see, all dragons have extraordinary powers that allow them to use magic. Magic that usually focuses on a certain element such as earth, water, fire, electricity and so on. Sometimes a dragon posses the power to use more than one element, but only in extremely rare cases. But some dragons have more than just the power to control an element. They have other powers as well. These powers allow the dragon to become one of the most powerful, but it comes with a price. Most of the powers are nearly uncontrollable and cause the dragon to become a mindless killing machine. Only the strong of mind and the heart are able to overcome its influence and learn to control it. Yours is no exception. The power of darkness is incredibly powerful and dangerous as well. Almost no dragon has overcome its influence. It was created from the anger and hatred buried deep within your heart, and your soul just couldn't take it anymore do it was released.

Ryo thought for a moment. "So this 'darkness' is a power? Does that mean it can be turned into a weapon?"

"It can be. But it's not that easy. You have to overcome its power of you, which is nearly impossible. Then you have to discover what it even does before decide what to do with it."

"But it can be done?"

"I don't recommend it, Ryo. This power is pure hatred, an extremely dangerous strength that causes us to do things we would never consider with a straight mind. Its a dangerous weapon that will end up hurting you more than it will help you. If I were you, I'd focus more on controlling yourself than controlling it."

"You said nearly."

"What?"

"Before. A while ago you said that it was "nearly" impossible to overcome. What did you mean?"

Jordyn smirked. "Well, they didn't have me to train them. Er-if you want, of course. It's up too you."

"You want to train me?" he asked in surprise. "You know how to train a dragon?"

She nodded. "I've done it twice before. And I've studied dragons my whole life. I know just about everything about them."

"Really? What can you tell me about mine?"

"He's an Earth dragon. But I can tell he's got Fire dragon in his blood too somewhere. As for his personality, he seems like a pretty calm guy that doesn't fight unless he needs to. But if you get on his bad side, you'd better watch out. He looks really confident in himself, but he's reclusive."

"Huh, he seems a lot like me."

"Well he should. He's still you after all. Just in a different form."

"I dunno, it seemed like he was overflowing with confidence and strength when I merged with him. That's not something I have a lot of. How old is he?"

"A teenager. Just as you are."

"Man," Ryo said, impressed. "You really do know everything about dragons. No wonder your power changes people into them."

Jordyn looked away, ashamed. "Actually, that wasn't supposed to happen."

Ryo blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"The spell was supposed to release your soul monster, which was this dragon. But instead of releasing it, you merged with it. Now you'll always have that other side of you, because of me. I'm so sorry Ryo, I never meant for this to happen! I never would have wished this on anyone now you have the power of darkness threatening you on top of that!" She broke down crying. "Now I've ruined everything for you. I never should have interfered!" she sobbed.

Ryo went over to her and turned her towards him. "Jordyn, you haven't ruined anything for me. In fact, you've given me a while new beginning," he assured her. "You saved my life and soul from who knows what terrible fate. If you hadn't interfered I'd be long dead by now, and Bakura would've killed you and Yugi. He would've won. That's not something you should be upset about. I should be on my knees thanking you for saving me and giving me the power to stand up to him. Thanks to you, I have the strength to fight and beat him. Maybe for good. I'm not the weak, useless kid that kept getting in the way of everyone anymore. And I want to thank you for that."

"But Ryo, you don't understand the consequences of this. You could lose everything! Your friends, family, everything. They aren't safe with you like this. You have no experience as a dragon and you don't know all of your abilities and what you're capable of doing yet. Not to mention the threat of the darkness lingering in your heart. You could get them hurt or worse, killed. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. This power will cause you to live a life of solitude."

Ryo shrugged. "That's nothing I'm not used to. I lived on my own for years before I moved here. And even now I still am on my own a lot. This won't change anything for me, other than now I can protect my friends instead if watching from the sidelines. You can try all you want, but I'm not going to ever hate you for this."

Jordyn sighed. "I guess there's no telling you to be mad at me then. Well, I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about it." She wiped her eyes and Ryo saw the gash in her forearm.

His eyes widened. "I did that to you. Didn't I?"

"It wasn't your fault. Like I said before, it's mine. But this is what I'm talking about. It's not safe for you to be around your friends now." She saw the worry in his eyes. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. I was the idiot that jumped on a crazy dragon."

"But I still hurt you. I'm sorry," he said solemnly.

"Don't worry about it. Look I'm fine." She held up her arm to show it had healed over. It was just a scab now. "Which reminds me, didn't you get cut too?"

Ryo nodded and held up his arm, exposing a similar gash on his forearm as well. It was still bleeding, but not fatally. "Weird, we got cut on the same spot," Ryo noticed. "Creepy coincidence."

"You're still bleeding. Here, let me help." Jordyn grasped his arm and placed her thumb over his cut, causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'll try and be quick." She closed her eyes and her pendant glowed for a moment.

Ryo felt a warm tingling in his arm where the cut was. He looked down and gasped in surprise. The wound was healing itself right before his eyes. In a matter of seconds, the gash was completely healed. Only a light scar remained. Jordyn opened her eyes when it finished.

Ryo looked at his arm in amazement. "W-what happened? How did you-"

Jordyn cut him off. "Nothing I didn't do anything. That was you. Your dragon side allows you to heal quickly. I merely let your dragon side release this ability, since you don't know how to do it yourself yet. You'll figure it out soon enough though."

He grinned in amazement. "That's incredible! Dragons are officially at the top of my favorite animals list."

Jordyn laughed. "And you're officially at the top of my most optimistic person list."

Ryo smiled happily. "I'll take that as a compliment."

A moment of silence passed before either of them spoke. Ryo was the first to break the silence.

"So what happens now?" he asked curiously.

"That depends on you," she replied. "If you want to continue on your current path with this life, you need to learn how to control your newly found powers. And that requires training. If you want, I can train you. But if you want to learn on your own, I can respect that. Some things are better learned on their own. Or you can try to ignore the fact that you have any kind of these new powers and go to live on your own. It's all up to you."

Ryo grinned. "Well that's easy. I want to learn to be the best dragon I can possibly be. And I'd love it if you taught me," he said cheerfully. "Who better to teach me than the person who turned me into one?"

"Well when you put it that way, it seems like the obvious thing to do."

"But it is. I mean, why wouldn't you? So when should we get started?"

"As soon as possible. The quicker we begin, the safer you'll be around people. Let's meet tomorrow. Do you know anywhere we can train privately without anyone noticing us?"

Ryo thought for a moment. "Well there is one place I know. But it's not much. It's where I used to go when I first moved here to be alone. It was the only place where I could get away from everyone."

"But it's secluded, right?"

"Yeah, no one knows where it is."

"Well then it's perfect. That's all we need. So how about we meet there tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me. How long do you think we'll be there?"

"A while, so be prepared," she said rather seriously. "You've got a lot to learn, and if you want to keep up your regular life it's going to be rushed. We have to get you trained before anyone gets curious and discovers your powers."

"Sounds like an adventure," Ryo smiled. "And that's something I look forward to." Jordyn smiled back at him.

A few moments later, Yugi's eyes fluttered open and he looked around in confusion. It was then that he felt a strong pain that pounded in his head. He groaned and rubbed his head.

Jordyn and Ryo then noticed him and got up from the table to check on him.

"Yugi? Are you alright?" Jordyn asked in concern.

"How are you feeling?" Ryo asked him as well.

Yugi sat up and rubbed his temples. "I-I think I'm ok. Just a major headache." He looked up at them. "What happened?"

Ryo eyed the spot where Bakura had punched Yugi on his face. There was a noticeably large bruise on his jawbone, but it wasn't anything too serious. Although it wasn't his fault, Ryo couldn't help but feel guilty for Yugi getting harmed. "It's my fault, Yugi. The evil spirit showed up again. He wanted to kill you and take the puzzle before it was completed."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Wait, he's still alive? How?! I thought after Atem beat him in that shadow game, he was destroyed." He looked at the ground in disappointment. "I thought for sure we were done with him."

Ryo sighed. "I thought so too. But if we've learned anything from that thief, it's that nothing keeps that spirit down. Don't worry though, he won't be bothering us again anytime soon. Jordyn made sure of that." Jordyn looked at him in surprise. He nodded in response.

Yugi looked at Jordyn in surprise as well. "You beat him?" he asked in astonishment. "Just like that?! That's incredible! It usually takes us so much longer to just even get some hits at him. That must have been amazing to watch."

Ryo nodded. "Yeah, it was really something." Jordyn remained silent, angrily glaring at the floor.

Just then a loud honking was heard outside. Yugi stood up.

"That's me. I've gotta go then but I'll see you-" he gasped as he remembered something. "Wait! Jordyn, you don't have anywhere to stay, do you?"

Jordyn shifted uncomfortably. "Well, n-no. Not really..."

"Great. You can stay with me then," Ryo said cheerfully. Jordyn glanced at him in surprise. "Is that ok with you?"

"Hey! I was going to ask her!" Yugi shouted angrily at Ryo.

Ryo shrugged. "Sorry, you should have said something earlier."

"I was!"

"Sorry, I asked her first."

"I released her."

"That has nothing to do with this," Ryo stated, starting to get annoyed.

"Yes it does. She's MY guardian. So I get to ask her first. Besides, I was the one about to ask her."

"What does her guardianship have to do with you asking her to stay over?!" Ryo said in irritation.

Jordyn noticed the two were getting hostile, so she tried to calm them by saying, "Guys, it's okay, I'll just stay-"

But the two continued bickering without noticing her.

"I didn't see your hand on the tomb when it clicked open, so she's my guardian. I get first dibs."

"It was my Ring that allowed that to happen!"

"That doesn't count."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Yes, it does!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO IT DOESN'T!"

"Whatever, if you weren't so introverted and asked her straight up front, then you would've got to ask her. But you didn't, so deal with it."

"Introverted?!" Yugi said, taken aback. "You're one to talk! You didn't even talk to anyone the first year you moved here! We talked to you first."

"Well, no one ever asked you to," Ryo replied harshly. Jordyn looked at him in surprise. "Stop being a sore loser and just let her answer my question."

Yugi crossed his arms, extremely angry. "Thief," he mumbled. A little too loudly.

Ryo's temper snapped and he whirled on Yugi, grabbing the collar of his black shirt. "WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" he snarled in his face.

Yugi's eyes widened and he cowered from Ryo's rage. "Bakura...I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Shut up!" Ryo's eyes were blazing with rage, his face red-hot with anger. He could feel the hatred filling up inside of him. The dragon's roar was ringing in his ears, ready to appear. But it wasn't his normal green dragon... "How dare you compare me to him?! I'm nothing like him!" He reached in his pocket for the switch blade, but was unable to reach it before Jordyn slapped him harshly across the face. He looked at her in surprise.

She glared at him. "Snap out of it, Ryo. Calm down."

Yugi glanced at her in surprise. Did she just call him Ryo? He's never wanted anyone to call him by his first name...

"Both of you stop acting immature before someone gets hurt." She tore Yugi from Ryo's grip. "Now listen, I'm going to Yugi's just until I'm sure he's safe from any threats," she shot a look at Ryo. He looked away sadly. She glanced at Yugi. "Are you okay."

He nodded. "Bakura, I'm sorry. I crossed a line I should never have considered. That was stupid. I didn't really mean to make you angry or hurt you, I was just...angry." He looked at the ground, ashamed.

"I'm sorry I exploded on you like that," Ryo apologized. "That was uncalled for." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Yugi looked up and smiled his usual cheerful smile. "Apology accepted. Let's forget about this." He held out his hand. "Friends?"

Ryo hesitated for a moment. Friends? After all I put you and your friends through? He forced a slight smile and shook Yugi's hand. "Friends."

Jordyn smiled and sighed in relief. Let's hope nothing like that happens again. Those two can really get dirty...

The car horn began honking again, this time a little bit faster and louder. Yugi glanced at Jordyn. She nodded in response.

"Go on, I'll be there in a second", she promised. Yugi nodded and stepped outside.

She turned to Ryo, who was solemnly looking at the ground. "I almost..." he trailed off. "I mean, how could I even think of something so terrible?" He looked up at Jordyn fearfully. "What's wrong with me?"

She looked at him sadly. Then she unexpectedly hugged him tightly, causing Ryo to blush a little. "Oh Ryo...I'm so sorry about this. I never meant to hurt you. I promise you though, you'll get through it. We'll get through this together. Don't lose hope Ryo, because that's when it will overtake you." She hugged him tightly once more. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" She looked up at him and he nodded. "Alright, I'll meet you outside of your school when it's out. No getting into any trouble until then, got it?" she teased. She stepped back.

Ryo held her hands in his, staring into her bright blue eyes for awhile before smiling and answering, "Right, got it." Jordyn smiled again before finally heading out the doors to meet up with Yugi. Ryo watched them go and sighed.

Meanwhile, Yugi watched all this from the windows while waiting in front of his grandpa's car. His eyes widened when he saw them embrace. What in the heck happened while I was unconscious?! These two only met like a couple of hours ago, and now they seem like they're great friends. Maybe even more... Yugi shook his head at his own thoughts before he noticed that his Puzzle was completed. Jordyn, he thought thankfully to himself. Guess I owe you another one. He looked up to see Jordyn walking towards him.

"You ready?" he asked in his usual cheerful tone.

Jordyn nodded. "Thank you for inviting me," she said gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Besides, it's least I can do," he replied while holding up the Puzzle. She smiled and nodded. The two got in the car and drove off to the KAME game shop, where their adventures would begin...


End file.
